DADDY DATES

Four Daughters, One Clueless Dad, and His Quest to Win Their Hearts

A self-described “road map” for fathers seeking to improve the ways they relate to and communicate with their teenage daughters.

The father of four young girls, Wright’s approach to building relationships with his daughters is the bizarre strategy of “dating” them. The author, a motivational speaker, is quick to put an amusing metaphor or the occasional pop-culture reference to use in an attempt to prove his relevance. But readers may be put off by his often antiquated views on parenting, such as prohibiting his daughters from dating anyone—aside from him, of course. Wright's narrow attempts to justify his parenting style are confusing at best—e.g., he writes that parents should be flexible and listen to their teens, but also encourages them to be firm and stick to rules. The author’s examples are almost entirely from his own personal experience, and readers will be left wondering if he has considered, let alone researched, any alternative parenting techniques. Additionally, many of the author's ideas do not hold up in nontraditional households, such as those with adoptive or same-sex parents.

May give the clueless dad a few ideas, but by no means an authoritative text on how to raise young women.